For a while, if anyone asked me what my favorite place in the whole world was, I’d answer with a tie- Studio 8H at NBC Studios where Saturday Night Live in filmed and the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire grounds during Celtic Fling weekend. Now, I just say Fling. I haven’t been to SNL in a few years and it’s always changing. Though most of the bands rotate each year at Fling, one thing stays the same- my friends. The days spent at Celtic Fling and the Mid-Winter Scottish/Irish Fest each year are family reunions for me. I turn off my computer, put away my work, only check my phone if I’m trying to find out what stage my friends are at, and drink more wine than the rest of the year combined. Though I’ve been to London and Paris in the past year, New Orleans, a college roommate’s wedding where I haven’t seen some people since 2008, festivals like Fling are what I look forward to the most.
Instead of being redundant and telling you how highly I think of these bands (like I do in most of my blog posts), I’ll keep this short and full of memories. If you’re searching for a place to feel loved, welcomed, safe and happy, find a stage and look for an empty seat. You’ll make friends in no time. Like I did, eleven years ago during Fling Weekend.
This is Brother. Talk about evolution. When I met them in 2002, they didn’t look like this at all. They didn’t sound the same either. But Brother, no matter how long I have known them, never fail to impress me. The first time I went to Fling, in 2002, was to see Brother, just two months after meeting them. That first year at Fling is where I met most of my festival friends. Brother is also what I consider to be my “gateway drug”…if it weren’t for them, I would not have attended so many festivals. Because of them, I was able to discover so many other great artists and environments. Drew, the Didgeridoo dude, is a great friend of mine and I always enjoy having a drink and catching up when he’s home. He also makes (and plays) a pretty bad-ass didgeridoo. You should buy one.
Always making me laugh at silly jokes I’ve heard before, Seamus Kennedy is a great guy with fast paced songs and never a dull moment. When I lived in Philadelphia, I would take the bus to Brittingham’s Irish Pub (just a few miles from my house) anytime he was there to hear what he had to say. A great night out is going to a pub where Seamus is performing. Raise a glass with him, because he’ll likely make you buy him a drink anyway. He’s currently doing the summer festival circuit, as most bands are, but you can catch him back in the Philadelphia area at the Graeme Park Celtic Heritage fest on July 21st.
I met Rathkeltair on a mountain, somewhere…at some point. I think it was 2004 and there was a small festival featuring another Fling favorite (who wasn’t there this year), The Glengarry Bhoys. I have no idea where we were but it’s the first time I saw this Florida-based band play. Neil’s pipe playing is amazing, I’d say it blows my mind but that’s a pun and I’m trying to be semi-serious here! And Trevor- what a voice! This is one band I try to see whenever they are in town and I’m certainly looking forward to their next gig.
The most fun you will have with any band is when you see a Scythian show. My first memory of Scythian is eating tortilla chips and leftover Halloween candy with them during an after party at a yearly winter festival in the Poconos (RIP, Fernwood Fest). These guys are great to look at and super talented, like most of the people in this list. But this band ditches the bagpipes and play accordion! A lot of weekends in college were spent heading to the DC/Baltimore area to see these guys fill up a bar. You could barely move and drinks were always spilled, but hey- that’s a great time! They’re much more fun at festivals, though, where there is plenty of room to dance around. Trust me, you’ll want to dance around.
Albannach is a band I stumbled upon by attending various festivals. They’re loud and nice to look at! These guys (and Jacquie) hail from Scotland. Most of my conversations with this group happen in elevators “hey, where’s the party? ” or “that’s a lot of beer!” and in the infamous Tikki Room (more on that later). Albannach always draws a huge crowd and it’s no wonder- they’re something not worth explaining in print. It’s hard to do. Just go see them, okay? Albannach are the partners-in-crime of Brother, often traveling to Scotland together for fan tours (I haven’t been on one but I hear it’s a blast and you never get to sleep). When intertwined, these bands form Bronach, a sound I bet you have never heard before. Go listen here.
Speaking of partners-in-crime, here are mine. We are part of Clan McTikki, a group formed by ending up in a themed room at Mid-Winter in 2003. I was next door to the clan, in a mirrored room. Loud noises and promises of free alcohol lead me to this group of people. I haven’t left them since. Each year, the girls pick a themed room at the Valley Forge Convention center and transform it into a jungle, spending hours decorating filling it with all the tropical drinks you can imagine (and bowls of spaghetti, of course). I’ve met many friends in that room over the years. Tikki Bob is our mascot and if you follow him on Facebook, you’ll see how well traveled he is! Make sure to say hi when you see him and get your picture taken for his fan page.
Michelle and Dianne. I’d say about 80% of my adventures over the last eleven years involve these girls. I met them briefly at a club in Allentown where Brother performed oh so many years ago. Then, we became besties that summer at Celtic Fling. The girls are from York and I chose to go to college there so I could be near them. We’ve traveled North, South, East and West together. I met so many local York area bands because of them, too. They took me in when my college apartment was too cold or when all I had to eat was the typical college meal- Ramen noodles. We went to Target a lot, too, and kept me filled with Starbucks coffee and many laughs. Here they are, working hard at Fling 2013 for Enter the Haggis.
And this, of course, is Enter the Haggis. We interviewed them in November, so I’ll let you read that before I go on. Ready? OK. These guys are Canadian and also pretty nice to look at. I’ll admit that the first few years of being in the festival circuit, I didn’t pay much attention to them. But after a late-night party by the pool one year during Fling, I realized these guys were pretty cool! Listen to their song, ”Cameos”. It’s one of my all-time favorite songs. Their new album, A Modest Revolution, was inspired by one single day’s newspaper. You can listen to the entire album for free here.
Advertisement time! This is Celtic Pink Ribbon. I plug these albums every chance I get and so do most of the band’s I just told you about. My pal Debbi rounded up a lot of the band’s who play Fling Weekend and asked them all to contribute one song to fight against breast cancer. You can read more about Debbi’s hard work in my interview from last year. If you’re a fan of the bands I mentioned here or Gaelic Storm, Seven Nations, Glengarry Bhoys, Screaming Orphans, Searson and many, many more then please, go buy one of these compilations for a good cause. If you have near heard of any of these bands until just now and want to become part of this musical world, then you should most definitely pick up a copy! I mean, is there a better way to become familiar with all of these artists? This is the ultimate mixed CD!
The Audacious Divas (like Debbi, Kim and Tammy who were hard at work when I stopped by Fling on Sunday) even collaborate with the bands to bring one of a kind goodies and raffles. Be sure to stop by their table at one of the upcoming festivals this summer to see what they have to offer. And remember, buy a CD!
Here’s Debbi! Spreading good music to all! I love you, Debbi! Oh and if you haven’t read that interview I mentioned above yet, I met Debbi during a blackout. She needed some of my coffee and we became pals.
And this is another pal of mine, Tim. He’s a big supporter of Celtic music and Debbi’s cause, too. I met Tim at Mid-Winter may years ago. He travels from Ohio in a big, comfy van! What I enjoy most about Tim is the great, candid photos he takes when no one is looking. Like this one I got of him! I always enjoy the random images that show up on my Facebook page a few weeks after a festival. He knows how to capture the good times better than most of us, and I’ve stopped taking so many pictures myself because I know Tim always has the best ones. When Jeff and Trisha are with us, and we spend more than one day at Fling, it’s tradition to get breakfast a few miles down the road at a little, crowded diner. Our waitress remembers us every year.
Alright, that’s it, kids. There’s your run down of a Celtic music festival. Look at all those talented musicians and the fun and the friends! Don’t you want all that for yourself as well? Then mark your calendars now for next year’s Fling because I promise you, it will be one of the greatest weekends of your life…until you head back the next year.
